Imprisoned by Spring’s Passion: The Aloof Powerful Minister Breaks His Vows

Xie Zhi, formerly the daughter of Xie Jinhuai, the former Prefect of Yangzhou, lived a sheltered life until her father was exposed as the mastermind behind a massive smuggling ring. The imperial court sentenced her father to death and exiled the male relatives, while reducing the women, including Xie Zhi, to the status of government slaves. To avoid being sold into a brothel, she desperately approached Pei Du, the Vice Minister of Justice who had led the investigation, and begged him to take her with him to the capital. Although he initially rejected her with visible disgust, he later rescued her from the brothel after she had escaped and was being hunted. He brought her to the Marquis of Changping estate, where she was registered as a low-ranking maid and assigned to the Dowager Madam's courtyard.

For six months, Xie Zhi endured the hostility of her new environment. She was mocked and bullied by County Princess Yuyang, Pei Du's half-sister, who accused her of seducing men and stealing practice sheets from the family academy. Xie Zhi, who had secretly taught herself to read by collecting discarded papers, was punished by being forced to kneel in the heat and later humiliated in front of the Dowager Madam. Pei Du, who viewed her with suspicion and coldness, blamed her for causing trouble and reminded her to know her place. He claimed he had saved her only out of charity on his mother's death anniversary, a statement that deepened Xie Zhi's despair and sense of isolation.

Seeking a way out of her precarious position, Xie Zhi devised a plan to win the affection of Pei Hong, the Fifth Young Master, who was known as a frivolous playboy. She believed that if she became his concubine, he would request her slave registration papers from Pei Du, allowing her to escape the Pei household and regain her freedom. She began cultivating a relationship with Pei Hong, using her beauty and skill in making book covers to gain his favor. However, her plans were repeatedly thwarted by Pei Du, who intercepted her messages and monitored her movements. When Princess Yuyang threatened to marry Xie Zhi off to a pockmarked stable groom named Shuangfu to ruin her reputation, Xie Zhi found herself trapped between two dangerous outcomes.

In a desperate move, Xie Zhi attempted to frame the situation so that Pei Hong would be forced to marry her after a staged drowning incident. She jumped into Xingbo Lake, intending to be rescued by Pei Hong, but was instead saved by Pei Du. When she realized her plan had failed and that Pei Du had been watching her all along, she confessed her hatred and frustration, revealing the pain of being treated as a possession and the rumors she had suffered. Pei Du, angered by her scheming, carried her back to her quarters, where she fell ill with a fever. After recovering, she was transferred to Yangshan Terrace, Pei Du's residence, marking a shift in her status and the beginning of a new, uncertain chapter in her life under his direct supervision.